Hear our stories!

Arriving in Uganda, we were struck by the tropical climate, blooming flowers, and warm welcomes that greeted us! Our first few days were spent in the bustling capital city of Kampala, where we explored the crowded streets of Owino Market. Our team observed several lapses in sanitation, such as poorly managed refuse heaps and litter scattered in various waterways, just meters away from various food vendors. Of note were the meat stalls, which in our view practiced abysmal hygiene standards. Clouds of flies abounded, and the raw meat was often left lying in open preparation areas, exposed to the dust and elements. In addition, our walk brought us past a truck full of rotting vegetables, with piles of semi-decomposed plant waste lying on the ground. In our opinion, these lapses pose severe public health hazards, while also reflecting the lack of strong enforcement of sanitation laws, and a negligent indifference on the part of private citizens. The leading cause of death for 1-4 year olds in Uganda is Malaria, and the various pools of stagnant water witnessed at Owino means that much of this disease]’s spread can certainly be avoided.

Speaking to a local, we gained further insight into the latrine system at Owino. Our interviewer brought up the widespread use of non-flush toilets that had to be cleared regularly by roving sewage trucks of the National Water & Sewerage Corporation.

Transitioning to a more rural setting, our various personal experiences using the open pit latrines during our Rakai homestay were well covered in our group-led discussion. While it was meant to be a fun introductory activity, one positive outcome was that it helped shed light on the seemingly universal lack of sanitation in daily cooking and defecation practices. Coming from the developed world, we take many of our daily conveniences for granted. The WHO says that around 40% of the world’s population lives without access to improved sanitation, while 52% of people in developing countries live without access to improved sanitation. As such, this course has uniquely benefitted us not just by providing the information, but also backing it up with a highly personal educational experience for each and every one of us.

Ultimately, we feel that the widespread indifference towards aseptic techniques, as well as the lack of Ventilated-Improved Pit Latrines (VIP), can certainly be ameliorated by a concerted effort on the part of the Ugandan Government to increase public awareness and subsidize the construction of improved sanitation facilities.

Our learning in Rakai, however, was not just limited to the use of rudimentary toilets. Interviewing Sharon from the Rakai office of the National Water & Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) certainly provided a contrast to our negative experiences at Owino. Bubbling with enthusiasm, she was quick to laud the clean governance of the NWSC, as well as its (in her view) excellent progress made in expanding Uganda’s water network, while still providing affordable prices for various rural residents in Rakai. Such was her initiative, that she even brought us down to view the actual pumping station, treatment facility and protected spring well at the bottom of a remarkably steep hill! Check out our picture… :D

She repeatedly mentioned that Ugandan’s were a “funny people”. Various stories included clients who stole water but stubbornly refused to pay their fees, or even rural folk who sought to charge the NWSC a fee just for expanding their piped network through federally owed property near their homes. As the interview went on, it became increasingly apparent that though the NWSC’s slogan states “the customer is the reason we exist” the employees of this company regard citizens with significant distrust. During a lecture presented by Aloysius Mutebi, a professor in ADD at Makarere University, we saw this pattern again. According to Prof Mutebi, federal employees often feel little loyalty to the nation and fellow countrymen which has resulted in significant corruption and chronic lateness in the workforce.

Ultimately, our experiences in both rural and urban settings have certainly set the stage for our research into the water and sanitation situation in Uganda. While progress is being made, there remain several key hurdles to any long-term success. In particular, there exists a high degree of mistrust between the government and private citizens. This is compounded by a chronic lack of civic responsibility, as well as the absence of political commitment on the part of public office holders. Despite the proliferation of innovative ideas, it is our honest opinion that this has, for the most part, translated into policy implementation failure.